WZZI

WZZI (106.9 FM) is an oldies and classic hits formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Bedford, Virginia, serving Bedford and Bedford County, Virginia. WZZI is owned and operated by Todd Robinson's WVJT, LLC.[2]

The radio station that was named WZZI until October 2009, is now WVMP.
WZZI
CityBedford, Virginia
Broadcast areaBedford, Virginia
Bedford County, Virginia
Frequency106.9 MHz
Branding"Oldies 103.9 and 106.9"
Slogan"Good Time Oldies"
Programming
FormatOldies
Classic hits
AffiliationsGood Time Oldies (Westwood One)
Ownership
OwnerTodd Robinson
(WVJT, LLC)
WZZU, WVMP, WKHF, WHTU
History
First air date
October 20, 1992[1]
Former call signs
WYMY (1990-1996)
WLQE-FM (1996-2001)
WBWR (2001-2005)
WLEQ (2005-2009)
Technical information
Facility ID15188
ClassA
ERP290 watts
HAAT389 meters
Transmitter coordinates
38°19′14.0″N 79°37′59.0″W
Links
WebsiteWHTU Online

History

The station started with the callsign WYMY on December 12, 1990 and officially launched on October 20, 1992. It transmitted from Thaxton Mountain in Bedford County, the same location as TV stations WSET and WWCW, and still does to this day. As reception from Thaxton Mountain is problematic in Roanoke, WYMY signed on translator W247AD (97.3 FM) in an attempt to help reception there.

On February 22, 1996, WYMY was sold to JLR Communications, Inc., who owned Smith Mountain Lake AM Station WLQE-880. WYMY's call sign was changed to WLQE-FM and simulcast adult standards and big-band music under the moniker "The Lake," The call sign was chosen for its location near Smith Mountain Lake. The station mixed locally produced programming with ABC Radio's "Adult Standards" satellite format.

On May 23, 2001, the station was sold and became a simulcast of classic rock WBRW in Blacksburg, taking the callsign WBWR. This made the station a direct competitor with WROV.

Logo used from August 31, 2005 to March 4, 2009.

By 2005, Cumulus had decided to focus the station on Blacksburg, and sold WBWR to Centennial Broadcasting on August 31, 2005. After simulcasting Oldies "Bob-FM" with co-owned WZZI (101.5 FM, Roanoke) and WZZU (97.9 FM, Lynchburg) for several days, the station played "lake" sounds before becoming "The Lake" once again, this time broadcasting a standards format with the callsign WLEQ, similar to the old callsign.

That format lasted just over a year before Centennial moved its "Bob-FM" oldies format from WZZI and WZZU in order to launch classic rock "The Planet" on those frequencies.

On March 2, 2009, WLEQ and W247AD dropped its Oldies format and began simulcasting "The Planet" from WZZI and WZZU.[3] The WZZI callsign was moved to this station on October 12, 2009, as 101.5 FM in Roanoke became AAA-formatted WVMP.[4]

In 2012, WZZI split away from the simulcast for a Sports format as "Fox Sports Radio" and was sold to Mel Wheeler Inc.

WZZI and WZZU were sold to Todd Robinson's WVJT, LLC at a purchase price of $523,000. The transaction was consummated on November 30, 2012.

In August 2015, WZZI began simulcasting WHTU at 103.9 FM, becoming and oldies and classic hits format, branded as "Good Time Oldies; 103.9 and 106.9"

References
  1. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2010/D4-2010-BC-YB-7.pdf
  2. "WZZI Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. "Roanoke's Planet Expands". VARTV.com. March 4, 2009.
  4. "Triple A Comes To Roanoke". All Access.


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